Three to go
At a time when actors are striving to look younger, we have Akshay Kumar sporting a salt and pepper look. Incidentally, the selection of films the 47-year-old has signed for this year, starting with Gabbar is Back is also worth discussing. A remake of the Tamil film Ramana, Kumar will be seen playing a vigilante. Next up is Brothers, which also has Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. The actor, who recently tweeted a picture of Jacqueline and him, with director Karan Malhotra, said, “The last of the love and hugs of #Brothers. My final shot of a film that my body and soul will never forget!! Many thanks.” Finally, there is Airlift, in which he plays a millionaire involved in the biggest evacuation in the world that took place in Kuwait.

Pranked!
Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone’s refreshing chemistry in the upcoming Piku is doing the rounds. While the two had a blast shooting, we hear they also pulled a prank on the cast and crew, including director Shoojit Sircar. Recalling the incident, a source said, “Both Irrfan and Deepika were discussing an important sequence when, all of a sudden, both of them started yelling at each other. Not knowing what to do, the entire crew along with director Sircar, gathered around the actors and tried reasoning with them. But it was of no use.” The actors then stormed to their vans and didn’t come out for half an hour. Later, when they were called for a scene, everyone on set was tense. But turns out, seeing their faces, the stars burst into uncontrollable laughter. That’s when they realised the duo had planned it all.

Blast from the past
Mohenjo Daro will once again bring together Ashutosh Gowariker and Hrithik Roshan, after Jodha Akbar. “The film is going very well. The shooting is progressing fantastically. We are working very hard, in the middle of dust storms. It is a tough shoot. People are fainting on set. But we are at it,” the actor said in a recent interview. The film is an epic love story set during the Indus Valley Civilisation. Southern actress, Pooja Hegde, will make her Bollywood debut with this film. It is also said that Roshan worked for three months with UK-based trainer Joshua Kyle Baker to perfect his physique—as Gowariker wanted him to look agile and less muscular.

The ultimate lavani
Dance of Envy from Dil Toh Pagal Hain—with Karisma Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit—had left us spellbound. Then came Dola Re with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Dixit from Devdas, another iconic number. But what has us excited now is the dance number featuring Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone in the upcoming drama, Bajirao Mastani. The two divas have been busy rehearsing the lavani number. But we are curious to know if it is a jugalbandi or a dance-off. The two friends recently took to Twitter to express their excitement about the dance performance
and even engaged in some friendly banter.